The Burj Khalifa, the tallest skyscraper in the world, stands at 828 meters in height. A marvel of present-day engineering is withstanding the extreme climate of the Emirates. The massive structure, completed in 2010, incorporates advanced materials and systems to resist intense heat, often exceeding 40°C or 104°F. The skyscraper not only reflect this heat for managing and maintaining structural strength but also for energy efficiency and occupant comfort.
Burj’s structure is beneficial for the occupiers, but is it friendly with the surrounding area because it reflects so much heat? Many people often argue that if Burj Khalifa reflect high amount of heat, it could unintentionally affect the neighboring urban areas.
The harsh environment of the Emirates poses a major challenge for skyscrapers like Burj Khalifa to withstand. High-rise buildings do provide a nice view of the area, but it also exposed to intense solar radiation. Technically, it increases the thermal load on the exterior of the building. Burj’s façade has reflective low-emissivity (low-E) glass coatings including aluminum and stainless-steel components. These elements, known for their reflexivity, emit a considerable amount of heat, thereby lowering internal temperature by reflecting the solar energy. This not only lowers the temperature of internal spaces but also reduces the air conditioning requirement. Cooling demands are high in the Emirates, and Burj engineering design lowers energy usage compared to other buildings.
Burj has vertical fins and a taper at an angle that enable to reflect an extensive amount of heat. This allows the structure to protect itself from sunlight and wind load. Instead of using a totally flat mirror-like glass surface that can create extreme concentration of the sun’s reflections on portions, the geometry of Burj’s façade disperses sunlight, creating a kinetic visual effect and mirroring the sky without forming extreme hot spots. A major advantage of this design is that it prevents the use of horizontal ledges for dust accumulation, which would otherwise increase heat retention during infrequent downpours. The Burj’s characteristics contribute to its ability to serve as an icon for heat resistance and to withstand the extreme temperatures faced throughout the Emirates.
The reflective ability is beneficial for Burj and its residents, but concerns are often raise about redirection of the heat into neighboring areas. If this is the case, the structure is contributing to urban heat islands or discomforting surrounding residents and structures. Urban heat islands are formed when the built environment absorbs and re-emits heat, increasing the local temperature. The reflective properties of Burj can reflect heat to streets, vehicles, or nearby buildings.
Engineering analysis and preliminary research in the design phase identify no significant indication that Burj increases the temperature of the surrounding areas. The initial sola reflectivity assessment mostly focused on glare effects instead of heat dispersion. For example, consultants assessed solar glare risks to aircraft landing at or flying from Dubai International Airport. Design reviews also look at how the structure impacts motorists, pedestrians, and occupants of surrounding buildings. To date, no research has looked at the adverse impacts of reflexivity on death rays or rising temperatures.
Some sustainability studies demonstrate Burj’s impact on the environment. Notably, the condensation recovery system collects 15 million gallons of water every year for use in irrigating desert landscapes, thereby eliminating the effect of extreme heat stress on urban areas. Applying reflective low-E coatings to a structure increases its ability to manage energy costs without causing adverse heat reflection onto the surrounding areas.
Despite no studies reported adverse impact of heat reflexivity on surrounding areas, Burj’s construction is not without criticisms. Burj has 163 followers and is the tallest building in the world. Architects used heavy building materials, which weakened the tall structures to manage their weight. So tall structures used wider and thicker masonry in the foundations, which increases the budget. The arrival of industrial steel allows to reduce weight and enable architectures to design tall structures. However, this type of steel needs intense labor work that often work in exploitative working environments.
Additionally, Burj Khalifa’s construction mostly includes migrants from South Asia. The laborer worked more than 12 hours a shift for around $10 daily wage. If any worker resists these working terms, the employer holds their wages and threatens to deport them. These exploitative working terms led to protests, a suicide, and one serious incident on the construction site. These incidents put Emirates under harsh scrutiny for incompliance of health and safety, and employment laws.
Acknowledging the Labor
In the future, construction companies and clients must prioritize the welfare of the workers who build these designs over the project.
